FR Doc E5-6912
[Federal Register: December 6, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 233)]
[Notices]
[Page 72624-72630]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06de05-32]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Innovation and Improvement Overview Information;
Teaching American History Grant Program; Notice Inviting Applications
for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.215X.
Dates: Applications Available: December 6, 2005.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: January 6, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 3, 2006.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 4, 2006.
Eligible Applicants: Local educational agencies (LEAs)--including
charter schools that are considered LEAs under State law and
regulations--working in partnership with one or more of the following
entities:
An institution of higher education.
A non-profit history or humanities organization.
A library or museum.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$119,040,000 for new awards for this program for FY 2006. The actual
level of funding, if any, depends on final congressional action.
However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to complete
the grant process in a timely manner, if Congress appropriates funds
for this program.
Maximum Awards: The following maximum award amounts are from the
notice of final selection criteria and other application requirements
for this program, published in the Federal Register on April 15, 2005
(70 FR 19939). Total funding for a three-year project period is a
maximum of: $500,000 for LEAs with enrollments of less than 20,000
students; $1,000,000 for LEAs with enrollments of 20,000-300,000
students; and $2,000,000 for LEAs with enrollments above 300,000
students. LEAs may form consortia and combine their enrollments in
order to receive a grant reflective of their combined enrollment. For
districts applying jointly as a consortium, the maximum award is based
on the combined enrollment of the individual districts in the
consortium. If more than one LEA wishes to form a consortium, they must
follow the procedures for group applications described in 34 CFR 75.127
through 34 CFR 75.129 of the Education Department General
Administrative Regulations.
Estimated Number of Awards: 100-135.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 36 months.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: Teaching American History grants support
projects to raise student achievement by improving teachers' knowledge,
understanding, and appreciation of traditional American history. Grant
awards assist local educational agencies (LEAs), in partnership with
entities that have extensive content expertise, to
[[Page 72625]]
develop, document, evaluate, and disseminate innovative, cohesive
models of professional development. By helping teachers to develop a
deeper understanding and appreciation of traditional American history
as a separate subject within the core curriculum, these programs
improve instruction and raise student achievement.
Priorities: This competition includes one absolute priority and
four invitational priorities. To be considered for funding, each
applicant must address the absolute priority.
Absolute Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), this
priority is from section 2351(b) of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of
2001 (Pub. L. 107-110). For FY 2006, this priority is an absolute
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that
meet this priority.
This priority is:
Partnerships With Other Agencies or Institutions. Each applicant
LEA must propose to work in collaboration with one or more of the
following:
An institution of higher education.
A non-profit history or humanities organization.
A library or museum.
Invitational Priorities: For FY 2006 these priorities are
invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an
application that meets one or more of these invitational priorities a
competitive or absolute preference over other applications.
These priorities are:
Invitational Priority One
Kindergarten to Eighth Grade Teachers in Schools That Have Not Made
Adequate Yearly Progress. Projects that support professional
development for kindergarten to eighth grade teachers in schools that
have not made adequate yearly progress.
Invitational Priority Two
High School Teachers Who Have Not Met their State Requirements for
Highly Qualified Teachers. Projects that support professional
development for high school teachers who have not met their state
requirements for highly qualified teachers.
Invitational Priority Three
Annual High School Assessments. Projects that support teacher
professional development in high schools that conduct State-provided
annual assessments, tied to State standards, that exceed the
requirements of section 1111(b)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965, as reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act
of 2001.
Invitational Priority Four
Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Evaluation Designs. Projects
proposing an evaluation plan that is based on rigorous scientifically
based research methods to assess the effectiveness of a particular
intervention. The Secretary intends that this priority will allow
program participants and the Department to determine whether the
project produces meaningful effects on student achievement or teacher
performance.
Evaluation methods using an experimental design are best for
determining project effectiveness. Thus, when feasible, the project
must use an experimental design under which participants--e.g.,
students, teachers, classrooms, or schools--are randomly assigned to
participate in the project activities being evaluated or to a control
group that does not participate in the project activities being
evaluated.
If random assignment is not feasible, the project may use a quasi-
experimental design with carefully matched comparison conditions. This
alternative design attempts to approximate a randomly assigned control
group by matching participants--e.g., students, teachers, classrooms,
or schools--with non-participants having similar pre-program
characteristics.
In cases where random assignment is not possible and participation
in the intervention is determined by a specified cutting point on a
quantified continuum of scores, regression discontinuity designs may be
employed.
For projects that are focused on special populations in which
sufficient numbers of participants are not available to support random
assignment or matched comparison group designs, single-subject designs
such as multiple baseline or treatment-reversal or interrupted time
series that are capable of demonstrating causal relationships can be
employed.
Proposed evaluation strategies that use neither experimental
designs with random assignment nor quasi-experimental designs using a
matched comparison group nor regression discontinuity designs will not
be considered responsive to the priority when sufficient numbers of
participants are available to support these designs. Evaluation
strategies that involve too small a number of participants to support
group designs must be capable of demonstrating the causal effects of an
intervention or program on those participants.
The proposed evaluation plan must describe how the project
evaluator will collect--before the project intervention commences and
after it ends--valid and reliable data that measure the impact of
participation in the program or in the comparison group.
Definitions
As used in this invitational priority--
Scientifically based research (section 9101(37) of the ESEA as
amended by NCLB 20 U.S.C. 7801(37)):
(A) Means research that involves the application of rigorous,
systematic, and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid
knowledge relevant to education activities and programs; and
(B) Includes research that--
(i) Employs systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation
or experiment;
(ii) Involves rigorous data analyses that are adequate to test the
stated hypotheses and justify the general conclusions drawn;
(iii) Relies on measurements or observational methods that provide
reliable and valid data across evaluators and observers, across
multiple measurements and observations, and across studies by the same
or different investigators;
(iv) Is evaluated using experimental or quasi-experimental designs
in which individuals, entities, programs, or activities are assigned to
different conditions and with appropriate controls to evaluate the
effects of the condition of interest, with a preference for random-
assignment experiments, or other designs to the extent that those
designs contain within-condition or across-condition controls;
(v) Ensures that experimental studies are presented in sufficient
detail and clarity to allow for replication or, at a minimum, offer the
opportunity to build systematically on their findings; and
(vi) Has been accepted by a peer-reviewed journal or approved by a
panel of independent experts through a comparably rigorous, objective,
and scientific review.
Random assignment or experimental design means random assignment of
students, teachers, classrooms, or schools to participate in a project
being evaluated (treatment group) or not participate in the project
(control group). The effect of the project is the difference in
outcomes between the treatment and control groups.
Quasi-experimental designs include several designs that attempt to
approximate a random assignment design.
[[Page 72626]]
Carefully matched comparison groups design means a quasi-
experimental design in which project participants are matched with non-
participants based on key characteristics that are thought to be
related to the outcome.
Regression discontinuity design means a quasi-experimental design
that closely approximates an experimental design. In a regression
discontinuity design, participants are assigned to a treatment or
control group based on a numerical rating or score of a variable
unrelated to the treatment such as the rating of an application for
funding. Eligible students, teachers, classrooms, or schools above a
certain score (``cut score'') are assigned to the treatment group and
those below the score are assigned to the control group. In the case of
the scores of applicants' proposals for funding, the ``cut score'' is
established at the point where the program funds available are
exhausted.
Single subject design means a design that relies on the comparison
of treatment effects on a single subject or group of single subjects.
There is little confidence that findings based on this design would be
the same for other members of the population.
Treatment reversal design means a single subject design in which a
pre-treatment or baseline outcome measurement is compared with a post-
treatment measure. Treatment would then be stopped for a period of
time, a second baseline measure of the outcome would be taken, followed
by a second application of the treatment or a different treatment. For
example, this design might be used to evaluate a behavior modification
program for disabled students with behavior disorders.
Multiple baseline design means a single subject design to address
concerns about the effects of normal development, timing of the
treatment, and amount of the treatment with treatment-reversal designs
by using a varying time schedule for introduction of the treatment and/
or treatments of different lengths or intensity.
Interrupted time series design means a quasi-experimental design in
which the outcome of interest is measured multiple times before and
after the treatment for program participants only.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6721.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81,
82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98 and 99. (b) The notice of final selection
criteria and other application requirements published in the Federal
Register on April 15, 2005 (70 FR 19939).
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants
except federally recognized Indian tribes.
Note: The regulation in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of
higher education only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$119,040,000 for new awards for this program for FY 2006. The actual
level of funding, if any, depends on final congressional action.
However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to complete
the grant process in a timely manner, if Congress appropriates funds
for this program.
Maximum Awards: The following maximum award amounts are from the
notice of final selection criteria and other application requirements
for this program, published in the Federal Register on April 15, 2005
(70 FR 19939). Total funding for a three-year project period is a
maximum of: $500,000 for LEAs with enrollments of less than 20,000
students; $1,000,000 for LEAs with enrollments of 20,000-300,000
students; and $2,000,000 for LEAs with enrollments above 300,000
students. LEAs may form consortia and combine their enrollments in
order to receive a grant reflective of their combined enrollment. For
districts applying jointly as a consortium, the maximum award is based
on the combined enrollment of the individual districts in the
consortium. If more than one LEA wishes to form a consortium, they must
follow the procedures for group applications described in 34 CFR 75.127
through 34 CFR 75.129 of the Education Department General
Administrative Regulations.
Estimated Number of Awards: 100-135.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 36 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: LEAs--including charter schools that are
considered LEAs under State law and regulations--working in partnership
with one or more of the following entities:
An institution of higher education.
A non-profit history or humanities organization.
A library or museum.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost
sharing or matching.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll
free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free):
1-877-576-7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html
or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.215X.
You may also obtain the application package for the program via the
Internet at the following address: http://www.ed.gov/programs/teachinghistory/applicant.html
.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting one of the program
contact persons listed in section VII of this notice.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package for this program.
Notice of Intent to Apply: The Department will be able to develop a
more efficient process for reviewing grant applications if it has a
better understanding of the number of LEAs that intend to apply for
funding under this competition. Therefore, the Secretary strongly
encourages each potential applicant to notify the Department with a
short e-mail indicating the applicant's intent to submit an application
for funding. The e-mail need not include information regarding the
content of the proposed application, only the applicant's intent to
submit it. The Secretary requests that this e-mail notification be sent
no later than January 6, 2006, to Alex Stein at:
TeachingAmericanHistory@ed.gov.
Applicants that fail to provide this e-mail notification may still
apply for funding.
Page Limit for Application Narrative: The application narrative
(Part III of the application) is where you, the applicant, address the
selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to limit the application narrative
to the equivalent of no more than 25 single-sided, double spaced
[[Page 72627]]
pages printed in 12-point font or larger. If the applicant is
addressing the invitational priority for evaluation, the narrative
should be limited to 30 single-sided, double-spaced pages printed in
12-point font or larger.
The suggested page limit does not apply to the title page, the
Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424), the one-page abstract, the
budget summary form (ED 524) and the narrative budget justification,
any curriculum vitae, the bibliography of literature cited, or the
assurances and certifications.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: December 6, 2005.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: January 6, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 3, 2006.
Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) available through the Department's e-Grants system. For
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your
application electronically or by mail or hand delivery if you qualify
for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer
to section IV. 6. Other Submission Requirements in this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements. Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 4,
2006.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is subject to
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
Information about Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under
Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for this
competition.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the
instructions in this section.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
Applications for grants under the Teaching American History
Program-CFDA Number 84.215X must be submitted electronically using e-
Application available through the Department's e-Grants system,
accessible through the e-Grants portal page at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
While completing your electronic application, you will be entering
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
Please note the following:
You must complete the electronic submission of your grant
application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. The e-Application system will not accept an application
for this competition after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do
not wait until the application deadline date to begin the application
process.
The regular hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site
are 6 a.m. Monday until 7 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 a.m. Thursday until
midnight Saturday, Washington, DC time. Please note that the system is
unavailable on Sundays, and between 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6 a.m. on
Thursdays, Washington, DC time, for maintenance. Any modifications to
these hours are posted on the e-Grants Web site.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your
application in paper format.
You must submit all documents electronically, including
the Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary
assurances and certifications. You must attach any narrative sections
of your application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or
.PDF (Portable Document) format. If you upload a file type other than
the three file types specified above or submit a password protected
file, we will not review that material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page
limit requirements described in this notice.
Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgment that will include a PR/Award number
(an identifying number unique to your application).
Within three working days after submitting your electronic
application, fax a signed copy of the ED 424 to the Application Control
Center after following these steps:
(1) Print ED 424 from e-Application.
(2) The applicant's Authorizing Representative must sign this form.
(3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the
hard-copy signature page of the ED 424.
(4) Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at
(202) 245-6272.
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
other forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application System
Unavailability: If you are prevented from electronically submitting
your application on the application deadline date because the e-
Application system is unavailable, we will grant you an extension of
one business day to enable you to transmit your application
electronically, by mail, or by hand delivery. We will grant this
extension if--
(1) You are a registered user of e-Application and you have
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
(2) (a) The e-Application system is unavailable for 60 minutes or
more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application deadline date; or
(b) The e-Application system is unavailable for any period of time
between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date.
We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to
confirm our acknowledgment of any system unavailability, you may
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If the system is down and therefore
the application deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all
registered users who have initiated an e-
[[Page 72628]]
Application. Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the
unavailability of the Department's e-Application system.
Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application
through the e-Application system because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
the Department's e-Application system; and
No later than two weeks before the application deadline
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application. If you
mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no
later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax
your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed
statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Alex Stein, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W206,
Washington, DC 20202-5960. FAX: (202) 401-8466 or (202) 205-5631.
Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable
following address:
By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.215X), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260 or
By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.215X), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing
consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark,
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service,
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier, or
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark, or
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original
and two copies of your application, by hand, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.215X), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays,
Sundays, and Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department:
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by
the Department--in Item 4 of the ED 424 the CFDA number--and suffix
letter, if any--of the competition under which you are submitting
your application.
(2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant
application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
V. Application Review Information
Selection Criteria: The following selection criteria for this
program are from the notice of final selection criteria and other
application requirements published in the Federal Register on April 15,
2005 (70 FR 19939).
(1) Project Quality (60 points). The Secretary considers the
quality of the proposed project by considering--
(a) The likelihood that the proposed project will develop,
implement, and strengthen programs to teach traditional American
history as a separate academic subject (not as a component of social
studies) within elementary school and secondary school curricula.
(b) How specific traditional American history content will be
covered by the grant (including the significant issues, episodes, and
turning points in the history of the United States; how the words and
deeds of individuals have determined the course of our Nation; and how
the principles of freedom and democracy articulated in the founding
documents of this Nation have shaped America's struggles and
achievements and its social, political, and legal institutions and
relations); the format in which the project will deliver the history
content; and the quality of the staff and consultants responsible for
delivering these content-based professional development activities,
emphasizing, where relevant, their postsecondary teaching experience
and scholarship in subject areas relevant to the teaching of
traditional American history. The applicant may also attach curriculum
vitae for individuals who will provide the content training to the
teachers.
(c) How well the applicant describes a plan that meets the
statutory requirement to carry out activities under the grant in
partnership with one or more of the following:
(i) An institution of higher education.
(ii) A nonprofit history or humanities organization.
(iii) A library or museum.
(d) The applicant's rationale for selecting the partner(s) and its
description of specific activities that the partner(s) will contribute
to the grant during each year of the project. The applicant should
include a memorandum of understanding or detailed letters of commitment
from the partner(s) in an appendix to the application narrative.
(2) Significance (15 points). The Secretary considers the
significance of the proposed project. In determining the significance
of the project, the Secretary considers--
(a) The extent to which the proposed project is likely to build
local capacity to improve or expand the LEA's ability to provide
American history teachers professional development in traditional
[[Page 72629]]
American history subject content and content-related teaching
strategies.
(b) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely
to be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in
teaching and student achievement.
(c) How teachers will use the knowledge acquired from project
activities to improve the quality of instruction. This description may
include plans for reviewing how teachers' lesson planning and classroom
teaching are affected by their participation in project activities.
Note: In meeting this criterion, the Secretary encourages the
applicant to include a description of its commitment to build local
capacity by primarily serving teachers in its LEA or consortium of
LEAs. The Secretary also encourages the applicant to include
background and statistical information to explain the project's
significance. For example, the applicant could include information
on: the extent to which teachers in the LEA are not certified in
history or social studies; student achievement data in American
history; and rates of student participation in courses such as
Advanced Placement U.S. History.
(3) Quality of the management plan (10 points). The Secretary
considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project.
In determining the quality of the management plan for the proposed
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(a) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly
defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing
project tasks.
(b) The extent to which the time commitments of the project
director and other key project personnel are appropriate and adequate
to meet the objectives of the proposed project.
(4) Quality of the project evaluation (15 points). The Secretary
considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed
project. In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary
considers:
(a) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and
qualitative data to the extent possible.
(b) How well the evaluation plans are aligned with the project
design explained under the Project Quality criterion.
(c) Whether the evaluation includes benchmarks to monitor progress
toward specific project objectives, and outcome measures to assess the
impact on teaching and learning or other important outcomes for project
participants.
(d) Whether the applicant identifies the individual and/or
organization that has agreed to serve as evaluator for the project and
includes a description of the qualifications of that evaluator.
(e) The extent to which the applicant indicates the following:
(i) What types of data will be collected;
(ii) When various types of data will be collected;
(iii) What methods will be used to collect data;
(iv) What data collection instruments will be developed;
(v) How the data will be analyzed;
(vi) When reports of results and outcomes will be available;
(vii) How the applicant will use the information collected through
the evaluation to monitor the progress of the funded project and to
provide accountability information about both success at the initial
site and effective strategies for replication in other settings; and
(viii) How the applicant will devote an appropriate level of
resources to project evaluation.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
Budgets should include funds for at least two project staff members
to attend a two-day annual meeting of the Teaching American History
Grant program in Washington, DC, each year of the project. Applicants
also should include in their budgets funds to cover the travel and
lodging expenses for these training activities during each year of the
project.
3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a
final performance report, including financial information, as directed
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an
annual performance report that provides the most current performance
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in
34 CFR 75.118. For specific requirements on grantee reporting, please
go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: We have established one performance
measure for Teaching American History. The indicator is: Students in
experimental and quasi-experimental studies of educational
effectiveness of Teaching American History projects will demonstrate
higher achievement on course content measures and/or statewide U.S.
history assessments than students in control and comparison groups.
VII. Agency Contacts
For Further Information Contact: Emily Fitzpatrick, Alex Stein,
Harry Kessler, Kelly O'Donnell, Claire Geddes, or Margarita Melendez,
U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W218,
Washington, DC 20202-6200. Telephone: (202) 260-1498 (Emily
Fitzpatrick); or (202) 205-9085 (Alex Stein); or (202) 708-9943 (Harry
Kessler); or (202) 205-5231 (Kelly O'Donnell); or (202) 260-2487
(Claire Geddes); or (202) 260-3548 (Margarita Melendez) or by e-mail:
teachingamericanhistory@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to one of the program contact persons listed in
this section.
VIII. Other Information
Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal
[[Page 72630]]
Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the
Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available on
GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.
Dated: December 1, 2005.
Nina Shokraii Rees,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
[FR Doc. E5-6912 Filed 12-5-05; 8:45 am]
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